


The Better Part of Valor is Discretion

by Heather_Night



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Electrocution, Gen, Hurt Stiles, POV Stiles, Scott is a Good Friend, Season/Series 04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 11:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8444821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heather_Night/pseuds/Heather_Night
Summary: “I told you to keep your mouth shut.  Anyway, this is a picana.  It’s designed specifically for human torture.  It’s portable, easy to use and works really well on the most sensitive places on the body to cause intense pain that can be repeated many times,” the hunter leaned over, leering into Stiles’s face.The man actually sounded like he was auditioning to be the spokesperson for a picana ad campaign.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I love stream of consciousness riffs from Stiles. I hope I did this justice.

Stiles flexed his muscles, trying to gain some wiggle room. He needed more than wiggle room—he needed to get free—but baby steps first.

Once of the hunters, a Calavera if Stiles was correct, tightened his bindings, undoing all of Stiles’s hard work. This hunter, certainly not of Araya’s or even her son Severo’s caliber, shoved his cattle prod into Stiles’s chest and zapped him.

“You do know I’m not a shifter, right? 100% squishable human here,” Stiles tried reasoning with the man once he could speak again.

“If you run with wolves, expect to be treated like one,” the man spat a glob of phlegm to the ground next to Stiles. He flashed super white teeth before applying the prod to Stiles yet again.

Once Stiles could catch his breath, he glared at the hunter. He had the swarthy complexion and dark hair like the other Calaveras Stiles had met but his eyes were a little too close together. Maybe inbreeding?

_Zap!_

“Ow!” Stiles panted, “What did you do that for?”

“Keep your mouth shut, kid,” the man snarled.

Oops. He must’ve spoken his thoughts aloud. These repeated jabs by the electric cattle prod were starting to wear on him.

“I told you to keep your mouth shut. Anyway, this is a picana. It’s designed specifically for human torture. It’s portable, easy to use and works really well on the most sensitive places on the body to cause intense pain that can be repeated many times,” the hunter leaned over, leering into Stiles’s face.

The man actually sounded like he was auditioning to be the spokesperson for a picana ad campaign.

Instead of a jab from the cattle prod, excuse’ moi, picana, the man belted Stiles across the face; Stiles saw stars. It was like watching a 4th of July fireworks display only Stiles’s eyes were closed. 

“Shut. Up.”

Stiles drifted on waves of pain, his mind seeking shelter with thoughts of happier times. He knew from an extended research binge while trying to avoid writing a paper for American History class last year that electroshock weapon technology used a temporary high-voltage low-current electrical discharge to override the body's muscle-triggering mechanisms. The recipient ( _ha! make that victim because no one would sign on for this_ ) felt great pain ( _Stiles could attest to that_ ), and was usually momentarily paralyzed while an electric current was applied ( _yep, true that_ ). 

It was reported that applying electroshock devices to more sensitive parts of the body such as the testicles and nipples was more painful; so far Stiles hadn’t had the opportunity to find out if that was true but he didn’t like the way Senor Close-Set Eyes seemed to be mentally undressing him.

Stiles kept his eyes squeezed shut, dreading getting a glimpse of his captor, remembering his long ago research as a distraction. The relatively low electric current had to be pushed by high voltage to overcome the electrical resistance of the human body. Usually, the higher the voltage, the more effective it was. Stiles remembered electrical current above 10 mA at 60Hz AC was considered to be potentially lethal to humans. 

He idly wondered how much juice the picana had but he didn’t want to ask.

Sometimes discretion was the better part of valor.

Wait, the actual quote was ‘the better part of valor is discretion.” Shakespeare’s Henry The Fourth, Part 1, Act 5, scene 5. Falstaff. It was a phrase known for elegantly redeeming a cowardly act.

Applying an electric cattle prod—oops, make that a picana—to a bound body over and over did seem like the act of a coward.

“Hey, any sign of the True Alpha?” Senor Close-Set Eyes barked.

“Nah, I think we could’ve used better bait. This one is supposed to be friends with McCall but reports say he’s still going about his business, unfazed,” the disembodied voice answered. Hunter Number Two was standing guard outside the rundown building.

“Well, McCall made the wrong move. Araya warned him if ever bit an innocent and made a wolf of his own, she would come find him and kill him. Payback is a bitch,” the other hunter chuckled.

Chuckled. Stiles was getting picana’d to death and this asshole was chuckling.

The last time Stiles had waited for Scott to find him and save him, he’d been sorely disappointed. Gerard Argent had worked Stiles over and his best friend had been clueless. 

Things had been much better between the friends lately—Scott had shown Stiles was as much a priority as anyone else in the pack if not more so—but how could his friend find him if he didn’t even know Stiles was missing?

As for turning Liam, Scott really hadn’t had a choice. Liam wouldn’t have fallen off of the hospital roof if he hadn’t been trying to get away from Scott so Stiles couldn’t fault his friend there.

_Zzzzzzap!_

Stiles lost a bit of time but he wasn’t exactly heartbroken over it; not being able to feel the pain coursing through his body seemed like a win to him.

“Stiles, hey, can you hear me?”

His head lolled to the side, his cheek coming to rest on concrete.

Huh. He wasn’t sitting upright anymore.

And that deep, concerned voice…maybe this was a dream.

“Stiles, no, this isn’t a dream. We found you and we’re going to get you out of here.”

That sounded like…

“Yeah, buddy, it’s me, Scott. Now can you open your eyes for me?”

Stiles blinked his eyes open, squinting against bright light. He’d do anything for that voice. Hadn’t he proven that already? 

“What happen’d,” Stiles asked, his voice slurring.

“The Calavera Hunters got a little too enthusiastic with you. Araya is not happy with them. I petitioned her over what happened with Liam and she let it drop, said having a True Alpha guarding Beacon Hills was more important than some misunderstanding. Hey, hey, you still with me?” Scott’s concerned voice asked.

Stiles’s eyes had closed of their own volition.

Altitude adjusting up and then down, things spinning crazily, as something warm was wrapped tight around Stiles. “Hang in there, Stiles. I’m going to get you help.”

Flopping his hand out, Stiles made contact with Scott’s arm. He slid his fingers down the limb until he found Scott’s hand. He squeezed it tight, well as tight as he could at the moment, which admittedly wasn’t very tight at all. 

“Thanks, Scotty,” Stiles slurred again. He was pretty sure he should be concerned about the slurring but at the moment he didn’t want to rock the boat. He was warm and comfortable.

“For what?” His best friend asked, sounded mystified. Scott had used that tone on Stiles throughout their years together and it never failed to amuse Stiles. He still had the power to surprise his friend. “Hey, Stiles, you still awake?”

Oh. Right. Scott had asked a question.

“You came for me,” Stiles finally answered.

“Well, duh, I’ll always come for you,” Scott decreed.

After everything they’d been through, all of their ups and downs, finally, now Stiles trusted Scott’s words. Believed him. Believed in him. 

Stiles let the darkness wash over him like a cozy blanket. He knew Scott would take care of him.

 

Finis

**Author's Note:**

> And there you have my electrocution prompt for hurt/comfort bingo. There's something to be said for these short little outings that practically write themselves, at least from where I'm sitting staring at 25 prompts. I hope you enjoyed reading unfiltered Stiles as much as I did writing him.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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